READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 15 - Dungeons and Relationships
I dragged myself off the floor and looked at Aki who looked even more spent than I was.
Fucking level eighteen. Sweet Jesus.
We've decided that whatever mystery the metal door held could remain mysterious for a while longer. There was a good chance that the secret was “horrible painful death” after all, so we gathered our belongings and retreated to the collapsed tower, which was a mostly corpse-free environment we could rest at. As we walked we ended up drinking our two last healing potions. It sucked, to put it mildly, but what could you do?
We ended up sitting on some of the more comfortable rocks, bundled in my greatcoat and huddled together. I didn't think either of us planned for this. It just felt like the natural thing to do. We've just been through hell, were spent both physically and mentally and just needed to have another person next to us. I could feel Aki's tail wrapped across my lower back, its tip occasionally rubbing against my side or left arm. As I was sitting there enjoying the moment, I felt Aki's breath tickle my cheek. I turned my head in her direction and saw her leaning towards me, looking at me expectantly.
Once you do this there is no turning back.
I kissed her. This time the kiss was longer and more passionate. I felt her tail tighten around my waist.
We didn't go past that. We were in no shape for that, desperately needed a bath and some fresh clothes. There was also the slight problem of horrible monsters wandering around. But, for now, that kiss was enough. It was a start. Where would it lead, I did not know nor did I care. Neither did Aki, from what I could tell. We had each other right there and then. And that was all that mattered to either of us.
We knew we couldn’t rest for too long, so we made the best of it. I told her about the Emu War, which brought tears of laughter to her eyes and she would bring those to mine with the tales of elaborate pranks she would play on other villagers told with a verve and skill of master comedian. We swapped our life stories, kissed some more and, for the most part, behaved like giggling teenagers on their first date, which I think this was. Truth be told, I would have chosen a different venue for that - maybe an ice cream shop or that tea house I liked, but a half-collapsed staircase with a skeleton of dead knight to keep us company would do in a pinch. I just hoped poor Tyrric’s soul wasn’t bound to what was left of his body because I could imagine by now the poor fuck must have absolutely hated our guts by now.
Eventually, we realised, it was time for us to get going. So we started to plan our next moves.
‘Do you think we should check out the metal door?’ I asked Aki. ‘Or should we go another way? There is no guarantee there is an exit behind it.’
Aki rubbed her chin absentmindedly.
‘We should check it out, I think,’ she said after a moment. ‘It’s possible there is something useful there. We do need more supplies.’
‘Good point. Did you level up after the fight?’
She smiled warmly:
‘Yup. Got an extra perk point too.’
‘Same. I still can’t believe we managed to kill that thing.’
Aki’s smile faltered.
‘Let’s just hope there aren’t any more of them…’
‘Yes,’ I nodded solemnly and went back to the topic I intended to talk about in the first place. ‘What are you planning on spending your perk points on?’
‘Probably a level or two in the Lesser Abyssal Bolt. I got it up to level two after the fight, and I think I’ll need to use it more.’
She shuddered. I hugged her closer.
‘Don’t worry, Aki. If you aren’t comfortable using it willy-nilly just leave it for special occasions. I certainly would.’
She nodded and hugged me back.
‘Then, I think one more into dual falchions.’ she finished. ‘It’s level seven, now. ’
‘When did you have a chance to check all of that? Am I this bad a kisser?’
She laughed.
‘No, silly. You’re doing fine, I think. I checked my notifications while you were sorting out your sword situation after the fight.
‘Ah. Still need to check out mine.’
Unsurprisingly, there were a lot of them.
The following attributes have progressed:
Strength: +60% (131% total progress to level 11)
Your Strength Attribute has increased to level 11 (15% total progress to level 12)
Your total health has increased
Dexterity: +30% (70% total progress to level 14)
Agility: +83% (177% total progress to level 10)
Your Agility Attribute has increased to level 10 (33% total progress to level 11)
Endurance: +70% (119% total progress to level 11)
Your Endurance Attribute has increased to level 11 (9% total progress to level 12)
Your total health has increased
Your total stamina has increased
Vitality: +95% (129% total progress to level 10)
Your Vitality Attribute has increased to level 10 (14% total progress to level 11)
Your total health has increased
Your total stamina has increased
Your Perception Attribute has increased to level 11 (0% total progress to level 12)
Intelligence: +12% (37% total progress to level 17)
Cunning: +5% (5% total progress to level 9)
Willpower: +80% (87% total progress to level 14)
Resilience: +25% (70% total progress to level 7)
The following skills have progressed:
Bastard Sword - Two-handed: +53% (78% total progress to level 6)
Stealth: +8% (8% total progress to level 5)
Earth Arcana: +45% (64% total progress to level 2)
The following spells have progressed:
Rock Spikes: +40% (44% total progress to level 4)
The following traits have progressed:
Predator’s Instinct: +???%
Okay. Now to allocate my perk points.
I pulled up my character sheet.
Basic Details
Name
Lilyth
Race
Tenebral Slimeling
Gender
Transwoman
Age
33
Level
4 (350/2000 exp)
Class
Tenebral Stalker
Rank
Novice
Perk Points
3
Attributes
Physical
Progress
Mental
Progress
Strength
11
15%
Intelligence
16
37%
Dexterity
13
70%
Wisdom
12
0%
Agility
10
33%
Willpower
13
87%
Endurance
11
9%
Cunning
8
5%
Vitality
10
14%
Resilience
6
70%
Perception
11
0%
Faith
3
0%
Appearance
12
0%
Charisma
6
0%
Skills
Lore - General
Name
Rank
Level
Progress
Insight
Novice
17
15%
Lore - Humanities
Name
Rank
Level
Progress
Linguistics
Journeyslime
40
10%
Earth Literature
Apprentice
25
0%
Earth History
Novice
10
0%
Lore - Sciences
Name
Rank
Level
Progress
Data Analysis
Apprentice
30
0%
Mathematics
Novice
10
0%
Computing
Novice
15
0%
Survival - General
Name
Rank
Level
Progress
First Aid
Novice
2
0%
Sense of Direction
Novice
10
8%
Stealth
Novice
4
8%
Climbing
Novice
1
62%
Martial - Swords
Name
Rank
Level
Progress
Bastard Sword - Two-handed
Novice
5
78%
Crafting - Cooking
Name
Rank
Level
Progress
General
Novice
2
0%
Crafting - Magical
Name
Rank
Level
Progress
Arcane Writing
Novice
1
50%
Arcana
Name
Rank
Level
Progress
Earth
Novice
1
64%
Spells
Name
Arcana
Rank
Level
Progress
Rock Spikes
Earth
Novice
3
44%
Traits
Name
Level
Progress
Neurodivergence
N/A
N/A
The Queen's Raivarian
N/A
N/A
Entomophobia
08/10
Special
Hidden Predator
N/A
N/A
Predator's Instinct
???
???
Nothing obvious to level up came to my mind. For most of my skills, I wouldn’t get full value out of my perk points. To satisfy my instincts I threw one point into Stealth.
Your Stealth skill has increased to level 5 (0% total progress to level 6)
You have spent 1 Perk Points (Current Number of Perk Points: 2)
New purchasable ability available
Ooooooh,’ I thought pleasantly surprised and immediately checked it out
Purchasable ability: Silent Step
Type: Umbral - Magical - Mastery
Duration: 30 seconds
Description: Reduces the volume of the user’s steps. Consumes mana.
Synergies: Knowledge of Umbral Arcana may improve the effects of this ability
Cost to learn: 2 Perk Points
That did feel useful, but not useful enough in our current mess. I could learn another new thing though. I pulled out the Rune of Gust of Wind.
‘Last chance,’ I said to Aki.
‘I’m good.’ she replied.
I nodded and a message appeared in my vision.
Do you wish to spend 1 perk point to learn the following spell: Gust of Wind?
Yes/No?
Yes.
You have learned a new spell: Gust of Wind
Type: Elemental - Air - Attack
Description: Fires a torrent of air within a 1x2 metre cone. Has a chance to cause knockback.
Note: Insufficient knowledge of Air Arcana
You have spent 1 Perk Points (Current Number of Perk Points: 1)
I could sense my mana recharged a bit, but not enough to test the spell. And well… I’ve experienced what it did on my own body. Which reminded me…
‘Could you give me your ring, Aki?’ I asked. ‘I’ll see if I can restore a charge on it.’
‘Are you sure? I don’t want to leave you without mana. I can try using my own.’
I pointed to the orb over her head.
‘We need to keep that thing going. Well… you need to at any rate. If you accidentally completely zero out your mana pool…’
Without a word, Aki took the ring off her finger and gave it to me. I focused on it and felt mana pass from my body into the ring. Once again, I felt almost completely spent but not having to worry about Aki as much was worth it. I called up the item’s description to check if what I did worked.
Item: Ring of Protection
Class: Jewellery - Magical
Rarity: Coven-made - Uncommon
Quality: Good
Durability: 15/20
Charges: 1/3
Effects:
Creates a force field around the user that lasts for 5 minutes or until destroyed (This consumes 1 charge)
Traits:
Rechargeable - You can channel mana through the object to restore its charges
Smiling, I gave her the ring back. She kissed me on the cheek and slipped it back on her finger.
‘Thank you,’ she whispered.
‘No problem.’
My mind went back to planning mode. I’ve decided to keep the last perk point in reserve. There was no need to waste it. As for me not being able to cast any spells, I took out the scroll case.
‘Tell me, does casting spells from scrolls use mana?’
Aki’s brow furrowed.
‘I don’t know,’ she replied, sounding apologetic. ‘There were no spellcasters in my village.’
‘That’s fine, love,’ I responded with a shrug. ‘
Wait… don’t I have that Arcane Writing skill?
I pulled up its description:
Skill: Arcane Writing
Type: Crafting - Magical
Level: 1 (50% progress to level 2)
Description: Art of transcribing spells onto parchment
Effects at level 1:
Ability to create level 1 magical scrolls
1% chance of creating a scroll of a higher level than 1 (up to the level known by the user)
Cost: 66% mana cost of the spell transcribed on the scroll
Required Materials:
Parchment
Writing Implements
Huh. So I get to use a spell at a third of its mana cost. Do I have enough, though?
I had no answers to that. Hopefully, I could use at least one of the scrolls. I hid both of them in the pockets of my coat.
‘Let’s go check out what’s behind the door,’ I said with a deep sigh.
Maximilian found the quiet in the room his guards were in disturbing. He heard the sounds of fighting, something that definitely was the Behemoth collapsing, and then… nothing. Neither his guards gave him an all-clear, nor did anyone burst into his lab to kill him. He looked at his pocket watch. Half an hour has passed and nothing. He grabbed his gun and slowly opened the door. The guardroom was quiet and empty if you didn't count the corpses of all the Sanguine that were supposed to protect him. Much good the inhuman little shits turned out to be.
'You just can't get good help these days, can you?’ Maximilian muttered annoyed.
Nonetheless, he was happy that whoever killed the beasts chose not to enter his lab. This would give him time to prepare for their arrival. First, much as he loathed to admit it, he would need to have a word with his “master” and demand some more underlings.
When his “master” deigned to answer him, Maximilian was getting seriously angry. He was at the bastard’s beck and call, and yet the bloody monster didn’t feel it proper to even pretend he wasn’t just some disposable tool for it. There would be reckoning. Yes. Maybe a change of leadership was needed. Worse, due to being kept on hold for forty fucking minutes, he couldn’t enact any of his other contingencies. He would need to improvise when the slayers of his guards came back, which he had to assume was any moment by now.
‘What is Max?’ his “master” finally responded through the magic mirror. ‘I’m busy as you know.’
He quickly explained the situation.
‘I see. You will have to deal with the intruders with whatever you have left on the floor. I cannot spare any additional Sanguine at the time. If they went through the Behemoth and had to retreat, I can’t imagine the intruders would prove too much of a challenge for you. You have your own minions after all. Just swarm them or something.’
‘But…’
‘No buts, Maxie. I’ve tolerated you for long enough. Don’t make me regret that. You have your orders.’
His master ended the connection.
Maximilian slammed the cabinet on which the mirror stood with his fist.
‘Goddamn shitty little fucker,’ he screamed in frustration.
Still, that was that. He turned towards his creations lying on various catafalques in the lab. The “master” was right, though. He wasn’t completely without tools. Before he could do anything, however, he heard someone messing with the door handle. Fuck, he would need to improvise. Maximilian rushed over to the door and pushed it open. Before him stood a pale elven woman and a demonborn girl. Both had their weapons drawn but looked to be utterly exhausted and in a horrible shape.
Yes, Max thought, as a plan started shaping in his mind. I can work with that.
Now, just to distract them from seeing the lab.
We got back to the Behemoth chamber unmolested. We drew our weapons and I tried to push the door open, but it wouldn’t budge. Suddenly, my instincts told me to get back, which I managed to do in a nick of time before the door burst open almost slamming me in the side. A tall pale man with an aquiline nose and piercing blue eyes, over the left of which there was a monocle, emerged from the inside the room. He was dressed in an immaculate feldgrau uniform with intricate silver epaulettes and twin white lightning on a black background insignia on the right side of his collar and one four dots on the left. Between them, I could see an Iron Cross hanging on the man's neck. The man's black boots were polished, and his blonde hair was covered by an officer cap with a totenkopf and the reichsadler holding the swastika. I saw a holster with a gun of some kind on his belt. Truth be told, the only thing missing from the man’s ensemble was the red armband.
'Thank God you are here!’ the Schutzstaffel officer shouted. ‘You have to help me get out of here!’